Reasons for U.S. Imperialism in the 19th Century

Summary: The United States expanded its role as an imperialistic nation in the 19th century to derive economic benefits. Overseas areas provided a cheap labor force and plenty of raw natural resources with which to fuel the U.S. economy.

The most important reason why the United States wanted to imperialize in the 1890s was for economic benefits. This is the most significant reason for our aggressive policy of expansion with political, economic, and military control as major objectives. We were looking for markets, which is the easiest way to colonize. In addition, investment opportunities like produce in Hawaii and certain mines in Philippines were noticed and desired. In Henry Cabot Lodge's "Our Blundering Foreign Policy," he reaffirms this point saying, "In the interests of our commerce and of our fullest development we should build the Nicaraguan canal, and ... for the sake of our commercial supremacy in the Pacific, we should control Hawaii and Samoa." The overseas territories were teeming with a cheap labor force, this would allow American goods to be made at a decreased cost. Finally, these foreign lands...